1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to spinal treatment systems and, more specifically, to a spinal treatment system that includes an integrated variable angular distraction structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pain in the lumbosacral spine is the most common of all pain complaint. Lumbosacral spine pain causes loss of work and is the single most common cause of disability in persons under 45 years of age. Back pain problems are described in various well-known references directed to acute lower back problems, and in particular, articles addressing pain management. Treatments for lower back pain include traction-like methods, which are well known for pain relief. Pelvic traction has been used to treat patients with lower back pain for hundreds of years. However, most neurosurgeons and orthopedists have not been enthusiastic about pelvic traction due to concerns over inconsistent results and cumbersome traction equipment to name a few. Simple traction has been known to be highly effective for treating spine pain. More and more clinics have been including traction as part of their treatment approach as the technology has improved over recent years. More recently, spinal decompression treatment has advanced due to the improvement in equipment and treatment results. Traction is generally known as a process of pulling and is typically performed by pulling and holding. Traction for the lumbar portion of the spine is usually applied by a force to pull on the pelvis, or by using a mobilization technique to distract individual joints of the lumbar vertebrae. Decompression means to remove pressure. In terms of spinal treatment, decompression is typically understood to mean a series of pulls, either periodic or non-periodic, that repeatedly pulls and releases a force from a portion of the spine. By repeating the pulling and releasing force from the spine, the muscles relax so as to treat the spine.
As the technology to provide traction and/or decompression for treating lumbosacral spine pain has been developing, equipment used for the treatment has been expanding to include different and more varied mechanical and electrical hardware for a variety of different and specific treatments. In general, the components of the equipment, including a bed, motors, clutches, linear actuators, and computer system, for example, are produced by a variety of vendors and manufacturers. Manufacturers of the final equipment generally produce and/or integrate the hardware prior to delivery of the equipment to treatment clinics. In integrating the equipment, the various components that are used to perform the lumbosacral spine treatment, or other related treatment, are typically arranged in accordance with the design to work as a system, functionally tested, and repackaged for shipping to a treatment facility for installation. One problem that exists for the manufacturer is the time consumption to configure, test, and repackage the equipment for delivery to a treatment facility. While the components are designed to interact with one another functionally, the components are generally structurally separate items. In order to perform the testing of the equipment, the entire assembly must be configured to perform functional testing.
One technique for providing lumbosacral spine treatment has been to apply both a horizontal and angular distraction component for treating the lumbosacral portion of the spine substantially simultaneously. The distraction is performed on patients that are typically in a supine position (i.e., a person lying on his or her back with knees bent at a forty-five degree angle) with the lower spine at a flexion of 0-30 degrees. The use of the distraction technique in both a horizontal and angular component utilizing conventional equipment, however, is limited in that conventional equipment only provides for fixed angular positions during a given treatment. An operator of the equipment, such as a therapist, sets the desired angular distraction for a patient's treatment based on a patient profile. Other or additional treatment requires mechanically repositioning the angular distraction and starting a second treatment on the patient.
Existing spinal treatment systems typically employ a frame to which a distraction unit is mounted. The distraction unit is moveable relative to the frame by being mounted on a track. The frame must be structured to withstand all of the force imparted on it by the distraction unit. Such systems have the disadvantage of having a bulky, fixed-height frame. The fixed height nature of the frame requires space in the entire height of the frame during transport. Furthermore, as the frame is bulky, it is difficult to add an aesthetic exterior around the frame without adding to undesirable bulkiness of the system.
Therefore, there is a need for a spinal treatment system that can be collapsed to a minimum height.
There is also a need for a spinal treatment system that is sufficiently compact to allow the application of an aesthetic exterior while maintaining a relatively compact form.